Ten NCAA men’s basketball championships (including 7 consecutively), 16 Final Four appearances, 88 consecutive victories and Thirty-eight straight tournaments. Those are all records which will possibly not be broken and all of those records belong to UCLA basketball squads led by John Wooden. If that is insufficient evidence to tell you of Wooden’s legendary reputation, then how about the point that he’s among only three people to be elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. There’s really no doubt that Wooden was ahead of the game. But what was it, exactly, that made him considered one of sports very best stories of success?
In 1948, Wooden accepted the unfilled coaching position at UCLA. At the time Wooden accepted the coaching job in California, UCLA had not had much previous success. Actually, they were thought of as one of the the weakest teams within the Pacific Conference. Many felt the addition of Wooden would have no affect on the team. Nevertheless, they were quickly proved wrong. In Wooden’s first year as coach, UCLA went 22-7. The year after, the Bruins put together a 24-7 record and earned the conference title.
They’d continue on to win the title again in 1952, 1956, 1962 and 1963. However, it was not until 1964, almost 16 years after Wooden was hired, that the Bruins would win their first title. Not only did they win the title, but they managed it in perfect fashion, winning all the games they took part in that year. The Wooden-led Bruins would win the title again in 1965.
From 1967 to 1973, the Bruins acquired 7 NCAA basketball title banners for their stadium’s rafters. No team before, or after, the UCLA Bruins in the late Sixties and early 70′s has been capable of matching this type of historical run of dominance. The fact is, you’d be hard-pressed to discover any team, from any sport, to match the success that the Bruins had during their run.
1974 was the 1st year in 7 seasons that the Bruins couldn’t win a title. However, between the ’73 and ’74 season, UCLA set an NCAA record by winning Eighty-eight straight games.
In 1975, in Wooden’s last year, the Bruins yet again went back to the national spotlight and seized their last title in the Wooden era. At the end of his career, John Wooden had accumulated 885 wins and produced an .813 winning percentage.
Wooden never spoke with his squads about winning or losing. Instead, he only spoke on trying to win. He was not as focused on the end result of the games he coached, as he was with the way in which his players managed themselves. All Wooden desired from his players, was that they offer the team their absolute best. With Ten championships spanning a 12-year time frame, I’d have to point out that that philosophy paid off pretty well.
To read about the life and principles of a man who was so humble but still found a whole lot of success was extremely motivating to me. Wooden had such a major influence on his players and on individuals around him. It’s interesting, because, even though Ive never been in John Wooden’s presence, you can feel what those who did encounter him must have felt, by reading some of his work. Whatever the compliment he gets from former players and rival coaches, it’s made plainly clear in his writing that he was a man of remarkable sincerity. No matter who you are, there is a lot to be learned from the renowned coach.
The legendary coach, nicknamed “The Wizard of Westwood” was perhaps one of the greatest coaches in all of sports. His style of leadership is still being emulated today. For additional reading on John Wooden and his life, follow the link to continue reading on.